- Top flight referees have been practising improved communication for 12 months
- Communication between referees and VAR is still outlawed by lawmakers IFAB
- Officials feel this method is the best way to make VAR decisions clearer to fan
Referees will announce VAR decisions to stadium crowds for the first time this week in a move that officials hope is the first step to broadcasting their decision-making process.
Football’s lawmakers begin the 12-month trial at the Club World Cup where mic’d-up referees, including the Premier League’s Anthony Taylor, will inform spectators of VAR decisions – similar to officials in American Football.
Premier League referees have been practicing for the last year for their communications to be broadcast to spectators and television viewers with the feeling among officials that such a move cannot come soon enough.
The desire is for a more open process similar to cricket where the third umpire’s decision is broadcast to the crowd and on television.
Officials feel this is the best way to make VAR decisions clearer to supporters and to avoid adding to the growing list of controversies.
However, communications between the referee and VAR are still outlawed by lawmakers IFAB.
This first step at the Club World Cup is not expected to give much more information to supporters than is already shown on big screens at Premier League grounds.
For example, if a goal is ruled out for a foul in the build-up, the referee will announce: ‘Goal disallowed, foul in the build-up by Real Madrid No.6’.
Real Madrid are one of the sides in the competition that starts in Morocco this week to compete for the trophy won by Chelsea last season.
If all goes well with the trial, the same VAR announcements could be used at the FIFA Men’s under-20 World Cup in May and the Women’s World Cup later in the year.
English football’s referees group PGMOL have shown before what it would be like to hear the conversations of their officials.
Referee Emily Heaslip was mic’d up while in charge of Chelsea‘s 5-0 win over Reading in the Women’s Super League last April and made it available for viewers watching on Sky Sports.